THE

PREFACE

T

HE Editor has already declared to the world, that his principal intention in pub

lishing the following discourses, was to serve the intereft of religion in general; and to oblige fome worthy friends, who have a great esteem and veneration for the memory of the reverend Author. And though he apprehends there is no occafion to make any other apology for his conduct in this affair, yet he begs leave, for the further fatisfaction of the reader, to cite a paffage from the late Dr. Evans in relation to fome pofthumous SERMONS of this excellent Author, which were formerly

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merly published by that Gentleman. "They (fays he) who relish Mr. "Howe's inimitable spirit of piety, judgement, copioufnefs, and force, in the management of every fub"ject he hath undertaken, will be "glad of any remains of so great a "man; and thofe, who have been "converfant with his writings, will "hardly want any other voucher " befides the Sermons themfelves, "that they are genuine, they fo

evidently carry in them, to a per"fon of tafte, the marks which always distinguish his perfor❝mances +." And what this Gentleman, together with Dr. Harris, faid in their dedication of all Mr. Howe's pofthumous discourses, may with equal truth be affirmed with respect to these, which are now made

public.

+ See the preface to the volume of Mr. Howe's pofthumous Sermons published by Dr. Evans.

public. "Though they are only a "fpecimen of his ordinary courfe of preaching, without any finishing "hand, or further defign, or per"haps always his ripeft thoughts;

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yet they carry the lively fignatures "of the admirable genius, and excellent fpirit, which always ap"peared in his compofures, and "rendered them fo peculiarly fit to "instruct and imprefs the minds of men. Whofoever confiders the

compass and variety of the matter, "the thread and connexion of the

thoughts, the ftriking imagery, and "the pertinence and pungency of "the expreffion; will fee reafon to "admire the vaft capacity of the "Author, and be eafily difpofed to "forgive any leffer neglects and ef

capes; especially when he only "propofed to fpeak familiarly and "without any written notes, and alA 4 lowed

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«lowed himself a liberty in expreffing the well-digefted and difpofed "conceptions of his mind.”

THIS was the opinion which thofe learned Editors had of the Sermons of our Author, which they published, notwithstanding they had not the advantage of his finishing hand, no more than these, which are now presented to the public, felected from a confiderable number of large manuscript volumes, in quarto, transcribed with great exactness by the late Mr. Benjamin Smith merchant in London, an intimate acquaintance of the Author, to whom he generally read his difcourfes, which he had taken from the pulpit *.

THE Editor has the fatisfaction to acquaint the world, that in publishing these Sermons he had the confent

* Those manufcript volumes are now in the hands of Mrs. Phoebe Voyce daughter of Mr. Smith here mentioned."